A collaboration between a Tennessee dog shelter and a Dunedin game studio resulted in the year’s most wholesome game. Sam Brooks learns how it happened.
You open a box and put a party hat on Mack, a blind cocker spaniel who has recently come into your care at the sanctuary. For the past few minutes of gameplay, you’ve been setting up your sanctuary with furniture, and generally making Mack feel welcome. You’ve petted him (a few swipes across your phone screen), given him treats (much the same), and learned about what this lovely fluffy guy likes (more pets, more treats, obviously).
These are the opening minutes of Dunedin studio Runaway Play’s Old Friends Dog Game: A Game About Friendship, released on iOS and Android earlier this month. It’s warm, wholesome and makes you feel better than you did when you opened the app. On the surface, it might seem like another…
